


Abs and Alcohol

by snugglechesters



Series: FRIENDS With Benefits Trilogy [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Mechanic Dean, Strangers to Lovers, Student Castiel, Student Dean, also i spelled titling wrong, gabe and sam are mentioned, im awful at titiling stuff, meet cute, part of a trilogy, please excuse the HORRIBLE title
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-08
Updated: 2017-02-08
Packaged: 2018-09-22 22:51:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9628754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snugglechesters/pseuds/snugglechesters
Summary: When the shirt fell into place, Castiel’s eyes widened and he looked away quickly, at the ground, cheeks pink and mouth open. “Uhm.” Now it was his turn to clear his throat. “Are you 21?” he asked.Dean’s first reaction was confusion; Did he mean 18? But then he remembered the actual conversation at hand, not the unspoken one.





	

            Hot Stairs Guy was sitting on Dean’s ratty, blue couch. _Castiel,_ he reminded himself. _What a mouthful._

            “Soooo,” Dean began, searching for a topic of conversation. “Is _Castiel_ actually your name or did you rebrand yourself with some funky ancient Roman name to make yourself seem more mysterious?” _Mm, good choice of topic, Dean_.

            But his unexpected guest just chuckled and answered, “No, it’s my real name. And it’s actually Latin, _Cassiel_ was an angel in the Bible, _Castiel_ being a variant of that. My parents are quite religious. All my siblings are named after angels too.”

            Dean gave a low whistle.

            “I actually like my name, but it can be difficult for people to remember. My friends call me Cas,” he added.

            A pause. “You can call me Cas.”

            Dean smiled. “So, we’re friends then?” he replied teasingly, hiding his delight.

            Cas toyed with the edge of a pillow. “I consider you a friend. You’ve been nothing but kind to me since we met.”

            “…You mean since five minutes ago?”

            “Exactly.”

            “Hah!” Dean snorted, “I like you, Cas.”

            Cas smiled softly. “I like you too, Dean.”

Dean cleared his throat unnecessarily, cheeks heating slightly. “Right, good to know.” He backed away towards his room. “I’m gonna go change out of these sweaty clothes.” _And now I just told the hot guy on my couch that I’m all sweaty. Gold star._

            Dean turned into his room to the left of the short hallway and haphazardly threw his backpack near his bed, rotating his shoulders and wincing as he did so. He blew out a breath and grabbed some sweats, thinking distantly that he should probably hurry so Castiel wasn’t alone for too long. His body and mind weren’t syncing so well, though. His low bed under a Zeppelin poster was calling to him, but it would have to wait.

            He pulled on the sweats and grabbed a gray t-shirt on his way out, struggling with it as he walked down the hall. “Yo, you want a beer or something?” he called as he turned the corner, head popping out of the top of the shirt just in time to catch Castiel’s eyes skimming eagerly across the expanse of his chest and stomach.

_Oh_. Dean’s mind sort of went blank for a second. Dean knew, objectively, he was good-looking, and he could sometimes be cocky about it, but he still felt self-conscious about certain things, and the little pudge on his stomach was one of those things. He didn’t know how to feel about catching Cas staring at him shirtless. His gut reaction was a quick pinch of embarrassment, but Cas’ gaze was appreciative, not judging. His heart fluttered.

            When the shirt fell into place, Castiel’s eyes widened and he looked away quickly, at the ground, cheeks pink and mouth open. “Uhm.” Now it was his turn to clear his throat. “Are you 21?” he asked.

            Dean’s first reaction was confusion; _Did he mean 18?_ But then he remembered the actual conversation at hand, not the unspoken one.

            He bit his lip and smiled ruefully, leaning back against the small kitchen counter “Not for another few months, but I’ve been drinking since I was pretty much 12 years old.”

            Cas’ eyebrows raised, surprised.

            “You?” Dean asked.

            “Me neither, I’m 20. But I don’t drink—”

            “Oh—”

            “Usually.”

            “Oh?”

            “I have at times; parties and such. My brother—the one who lives here, Gabe—is kind of a party animal, so he’s tried to get me drunk on numerous occasions. Not many have been great experiences.”

            Dean winced sympathetically. “I know that feeling.” He opened the fridge and eyed it contents critically. “Well I got juice? Or…milk? Or water from the tap.”

            Cas was quiet for a moment, then, “No, I’ll take the beer, please.”

            “Ah! Livin’ on the edge, eh?” He grabbed two El Sol from the back of the fridge and brought one over to Cas, settling down next to him on the couch. “Hope you aren’t a lightweight; I’d hate to be the stranger that drags you to your brother’s doorstep totally incoherent. I’d get killed for sure.”

            Cas breathed a soft laugh, then said thoughtfully, “Probably. Gabe can be quite fierce when he needs to be.”

            “I don’t know him, but I believe it.” Dean’s laptop was still on the coffee table from when he’d been studying earlier. He dragged it closer, placing it between him and Cas. He took a sip of his beer, the cold liquid waking him up slightly. “So, _Friends_? I’m on season 3, is that okay?”

            Cas smiled. “I’ve seen every episode, so it doesn’t matter to me.”

            “Alright! No spoilers, though.”

            “…Dean, the show has been over for 12 years—”

            “Ah, ah ah! No spoilers.” Dean lifted his index finger off his bottle to point at Castiel, who lifted his hands defensively and grinned as he mimed zipping his lips.

            _His gorgeous pink lips—okay, Dean! Focus!_

            He booted up Netflix and switched on the floor lamp next to the couch, then hesitated. “Is it okay if I turn the main light off?”

            Cas had grabbed the folded quilt from his side of the couch and he paused in the process of wrapping himself into a blanket burrito to deadpan, “No, Dean, please don’t. I’m terrified of the dark.”

            Dean playfully shoved his shoulder. “Okay, smartass.” He got up quickly to flick off the light, but the second he did, his heart started to pound in his chest. The room was now dark, except for the two contrasting shades lighting up Castiel’s face: the warm orange glow from the lamp, and the cold blue of the computer screen. However casual their meeting may have been, this felt…intimate. And there was no question that Dean was attracted to the man sitting before him. He just didn’t know what the rules were for this situation; he felt out of his element, the emotion only making him more tired.

            Cas looked up from his nest of wool, noticing Dean had apparently short-circuited and was now standing motionless like an imbecile. “You okay?” he said finally, kindly, the lamp behind him outlining his head like a halo.

            Dean smiled fondly and mentally shook himself. He wasn’t going to worry about anything right now. Just enjoy a nice night with a new friend.

            “I’m fine, just tired,” he replied, ambling back to the couch. He didn’t let himself analyze how close to sit to his guest, merely plopped down where was comfortable.

            He kept his eyes on the screen as he selected the episode, but couldn’t help but let his gaze drift to Cas. He was looking at the computer too, his eyes reflecting the white screen, but then he turned to look at Dean, and his eyes were that beautiful, deep blue. He didn’t smile, but his gentle expression conveyed his content. “Ready?”

            “Ready.”

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on [tumblr](http://www.snugglechesters.tumblr.com)


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